Bonding
by Angel71
Summary: Chapter 5 up! Jack's got it bad...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- Don't own em..go fish A/N- I reposted this because it's been betad now. Thankyou Tricia :D .Ok, I know that this is probably not all medically correct, and I'm sorry but I can't do much more with my current level of education in that field, give me a couple of years and it'll all be good : )  
  
"Colonel, thank you for getting here so quickly." Hammond greeted Jack as he arrived in his office. Jack stepped in, looking puzzled as he saw Janet Fraiser sitting in the office.  
  
"No, problem sir, what's up?" Jack asked sitting down.  
  
"SG-3 has reported that some natives they encountered on P79-461 are exhibiting signs of flu. It seems Captain Harris has taken ill while off world. He must have been incubating the virus before he left." Hammond reported.  
  
"So...what's that got to do with me sir?" Jack asked still puzzled.  
  
"Well, as you know, both Dr. Jackson and Major Carter are off world with other teams and Teal'c's visiting his family. SG-8, the medical team, is also currently off-world on another assignment. Dr. Fraiser has volunteered to go and treat the inhabitants currently suffering from the virus and immunise the rest."  
  
"Ah." He said sarcastically, letting Hammond know his explanation was not helping him.  
  
"I would like you to accompany Dr. Fraiser. SG-3 is stuck in the caves were the natives dwell." He said. Fraiser looked at him indignantly.  
  
"With all due respect, sir, I don't need a babysitter." She said.  
  
"I am quite aware of that of that, Doctor, but I don't send one person teams off-world." He replied.  
  
"Yes, sir." She said through gritted teeth.  
  
"You'll leave in forty minutes, dismissed." Hammond ordered.  
  
"Oh, come on, Doc, this'll be fun. A nice little trip through the gate, some flu infected natives. Lots of fun." He said in his practised sarcastic tone as the walked out of the office.  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure." She replied acidly.  
  
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~  
  
"You think you brought enough stuff, Doc?" Jack asked as Janet made her way into the gate room carrying her two med packs.  
  
"I had to bring enough vaccinations for the entire population at this encampment." She replied. "Sir." She added as an afterthought.  
  
"Ah, well that makes it all right then." He jibed, she growled at him, not looking forward to the next couple of days. The gate kawooshed into life and they headed up the ramp, neither hesitating to step through the shimmering pool. "Ah, trees, that makes a change." Jack spoke as soon as his mind processed what he saw when they reached the other side. Janet ignored him.  
  
"The caves are this way." She pointed in a northern direction, starting to walk without waiting for Jack. He followed her without saying anything, afraid that he'd piss her off more than she obviously already was. They walked in silence for about two hours, Jack was walking a little ahead of Janet, his longer legs combined with her heavy packs making it difficult for her to keep up. They arrived at the mouth of a network of caves, there were several openings in the rock face. They looked to one another.  
  
"Which one?" Jack asked.  
  
"Lawlins never said." Janet replied shrugging. Jack put his hand to his radio.  
  
"O'Neill to Lawlins..." The only response was radio static. "O'Neill to any member of SG-3..." Still silence. He looked to Janet, and shrugged.  
  
"Lawlins did say that they were having trouble with the radios in the caves."  
  
"I guess we gotta do this the hard way. What you say, Doc, start at one end and work our way down?" He started towards the furthest opening, his question not really being a question but an order. She followed behind. Again they fell into a silence, simply following through the passages in the cave, O'Neill dropping beacons behind them as they went. After hours of walking in circles they gave up and headed back out of the cave. The entered the next one, beginning the same process, after about an hour following the same passage, they reached a dead end, a large cavern. "This looks like it could be habitable." Jack stated hopefully.  
  
"Yeah, but I can't see any signs that anyone's living here." Janet countered.  
  
"Agreed, lets mo-" Jack was interrupted by a low rumbling sound. Suddenly Janet leapt forward.  
  
"Colonel, look out!" She yelled, pushing him out of the way with surprising force. Jack stumbled backwards, falling over, hitting his head off a boulder on the ground as he went and blacking out. He woke up, trying to regain his senses as he saw that the mouth of the cavern they were in had fallen in on itself, on top of the small doctor. He barely registered that the exit was also blocked. Jack ran toward the spot where Janet had fallen. She was lying completely still. Thankfully, she hadn't been completely buried in the cave in, the impact of one of the larger boulders causing her to fall forwards, away from the main path of the other falling rocks. But the ones that had hit her had certainly hit her hard enough. Jack knelt down beside her, afraid to move or touch her in any way but frantically needing to try to find a pulse. He gently felt the side of her neck, breathing a sigh of relief when he found her pulse, slow as it was. He looked her over trying to assess her injuries. She had a nasty looking gash on her temple, her left arm was definately broken, because it was not supposed to look like that, and she had several cuts and bruises all over her. And that was just what he could see in a quick glance, never mind the probable concussion and internal injuries.  
  
"Oh, God." He heard himself say. He decided the best thing would be to try and wake her up, at least she could tell him what to do. "Come on, Doc, wake up." Nothing. "Janet, don't do this to me. Wake up." Still nothing. "Come on, Janet, you've got to wake up, you're scaring me here."  
  
"Nice.to know.you care." She whispered. Her breathing was laboured, her eyes were opening but they were still half-shut. She started to try to move. He put his hands at either side of her face, keeping her head still.  
  
"Don't try to move." Jack said, frantically looking around for one of her med-packs. She let out a low moan, the pain increasing. "Hey, take it easy, Doc."  
  
"Easy for you to say." She growled through gritted teeth.  
  
"I know." He sympathised. "I can't see your packs anywhere. Do you know where they went?"  
  
"Sorry, I wasn't really paying a-" She stopped mid-sentence, crying out in pain. "attention when I was being crushed by the rocks."  
  
"There's certainly nothing wrong with your sense of humour."  
  
"I learned from the best." She managed to get out before crying out again.  
  
"Awww, jeez Doc, your flattering me." She laughed, sparking a coughing fit. Jack tried his best to hold her head still but gave up when she began coughing up blood, "Oh, God." He repeated when he saw how much of it there was. He allowed her to turn her head to the side, deciding that if she could turn her neck by herself then it was ok. She stopped coughing, a trail of blood flowing down the side of her face. Jack tenderly wiped it off, moving to her right, taking her right hand in his own. She was gasping from breath, struggling to take enough in. She was trying to say something, Jack leaned down, his ear turned towards her mouth.  
  
"Lung..collapsed.." She managed to choke out. Jack caught on quickly, realising he must have been out longer than he thought, and jumped to where the rocks had collapsed, starting to dig, desperately looking for one of the med-packs. He found one, unfortunately, it was the one containing the vaccines. He searched for the other one containing the general medical supplies for a second before being struck by inspiration. He went back over to Janet, pulling out one of the needles from the pack. He squeezed the syringe, emptying the contents of it, and pulled off the plunger, making a make-shift valve. "Doc, listen to me, I don't know what I'm doing here ok? I need you to show me what to do." He held the valve in his mouth, ripping her jacket off with his knife, getting access to her chest. Janet was going distinctly blue now, struggling to stay conscious. "Janet, you need to show me where to put this." He took her hand again, placing it over her rib cage, she moved her hand to where the needle needed to go. "Ok, hold on. This is going to hurt." He said jabbing it into the place where she had pointed out. She gritted her teeth, her breathing easing as the air drained from her chest.  
  
"Thanks." She gasped.  
  
"No problem." He smiled, putting the movable part back in the syringe to close the valve. "How you feeling?" He asked.  
  
"Peachy." She coined one of his favourite phrases. He smiled again.  
  
"Just hang on for a little bit, Doc, I'm gonna get you out of here." He said standing up, looking around the cave. He looked back to Janet, her eyes were closed. "Doc?" He said kneeling down again. "Doc, you gotta stay with me here, ok?" He cupped her face in his hand, "Come on, Janet, you gotta wake up. You have to stay awake." She slowly opened her eyes. "That's better."  
  
"I can't." Her voice trembled as she spoke in a soft whisper. "It hurts." She gritted her teeth against the pain, trying to stop herself from crying out.  
  
"I know it does." He lowered his hand from her face, taking her good hand again, "But I also know that you are strong enough to get through this. I am going to get us out of here, you've just gotta stay with me until I can find the way out. Ok?" He asked, gently squeezing her hand, offering her some comfort. She nodded. "Ok, keep talking Doc." He said standing up again. "How's Cassie doing in school?" He questioned, trying to make conversation.  
  
"Fine." She replied drowsily.  
  
"Doc? Come on, you gotta give me more than that." He sighed, trying to keep her talking as he moved around the sides of the cavern, finding no exits, he returned to the side they had entered from, shaking his head when he looked at the full extent of the cave in. It would take him days to dig through that, he was lucky if Janet had hours. He suddenly realised he still hadn't got an answer from her, he returned to her side, her face was screwed up in pain, she was shaking, breathing quickly. He had no idea what to do to help. He couldn't find her other med-pack in the rubble and unless she wanted a flu jab he was pretty much all out in the supplies area. He didn't even have the basic field kit, that had been classed extraneous for this mission. Which had made perfect sense at the time since he had been taking the CMO along on the mission to a friendly planet. Her breathing slowed as the pain subsided. "You ok?"  
  
"Dumb question." He smiled at her response,  
  
"I can't find your other pack, and there's no other way outta this cave so we're gonna have to wait a while for someone to come find us." He set it to her straight.  
  
"That could take days."  
  
"Come on now, positive attitude. Where's Miss Glass Half Full." She didn't answer, her eyes slowly closed, "Janet!" He yelled frantically, "You have to stay awake!"  
  
"I'm tired." She mumbled.  
  
"I know, but you have to stay awake, ok?" He asked forcefully,  
  
"..kay.." She replied sleepily. Her face screwed up in pain again, and a low moan escaped from her lips.  
  
"So, tell me about Cassie." He went back to the only subject he could think of that they had in common, aside from the SGC of course.  
  
"I wouldn't...ah..want to answer on her behalf." Her breathing was still heavy, and her sentence interrupted by her trying to stop herself from crying out in pain.  
  
"What?" Jack was confused by her response.  
  
"I'm apparently too-" She bit down on her lip taking several deep breaths before finishing. "Overbearing."  
  
"Oh, she reached that stage has she?" Jack smiled, as she nodded slightly in response.  
  
"She said.aaaah.that she has a right to be screwed up since.ah.I can't keep a boyfriend long enough for her to have a male role model in her life." Her eyes were growing heavier as she spoke.  
  
"Ouch." Jack sympathised.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That why you were so pissed off?" He asked, she nodded slightly again,  
  
"Sorry." She said quietly,  
  
"Don't worry about it." He said, looking around again quickly, when he looked back to her, her eyes were closed again. "Doc!" He called in alarm.  
  
"Just resting." She mumbled.  
  
"Rest with your eyes open."  
  
"Can't." She replied, still mumbling, before before another coughing fit wracked her body. There was more blood this time, lots more blood, and Jack was beginning to panic a little, not that he was showing it. He moved behind her, gently lifting her to lean against him to stop her from drowning in the thick dark fluid. When she stopped coughing once again she was unconscious. Jack cursed himself for not keeping her awake. He laid her back down, releasing his make-shift valve as he heard her breathing become more laboured. He looked at his watch, they'd been on the planet for seven hours now. SG-3 would have been looking for them by now, so give them two hours to get back to the 'gate, half an hour for a S&R team to get ready, another two for them to get to the caves and say one for them to find the cave in. Jack mentally tallied, that meant he only had to keep the Doc going for oh, five and half hours. He doubted if she had that long. But he'd be damned if he was going to let her go without a fight.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

Janet had been unconscious for over three hours now, her breathing was getting slower, more shallow, and her pulse more erratic. Jack had turned off his flashlight not long after she had lost consciousness, and in the darkness he had found himself counting her breaths, while he clung to her hand. He was afraid that if he let it go she would stop breathing. He had just passed 1500 when his radio crackled to life. He fumbled for it the darkness, grabbing it as soon as his hand came into contact with it.  
  
"This is O'Neill, can anybody hear me?"  
  
"Colonel!" Carter's voice was hard to make out through the static, but it was her all right. "Sir, we're outside the cave, are you ok? Is Dr. Fraiser with you?" She questioned.  
  
"Yeah, Carter, I'm ok, Fraiser's here too, but she's in a bad way. How long is it gonna take you to get through the rocks?"  
  
"We're not sure sir; it's pretty tough going out here. How's Janet doing?" Sam's concern for her friend was clearly evident in her voice.  
  
He sighed, "Not good."  
  
"How bad is she?"  
  
"You guys should just pick up the pace a little." Jack replied, the underlying tone of urgency in his voice.  
  
"Understood, sir. Carter, out."  
  
Jack put his radio back down on the ground, listening for the sound of Janet breathing once again, it was half an hour later when he lost count again.  
  
"Sir?" He heard Carter's voice, a lot clearer now, indicating they were further through.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"We're almost through here. How are you holding up?" They both knew the question was really how's Janet.  
  
"She's holding on, Carter, just get in here, fast."  
  
"Yes, sir." And with that the conversation ended.  
  
"Jack." He heard her say his name, barely a whisper. He grabbed the flashlight, switching it back on.  
  
"Hey." He said smiling, "You just have to hold on for a little longer, they've found us."  
  
"Don't.think.I can." She replied, her voice still barely a whisper.  
  
"Yes, you can." He said, squeezing her hand. He looked towards the fallen rocks, they could hear the rescue teams voices now, and they were close to breaking through. "They're almost here, just hang on a little longer." He urged.  
  
She didn't answer. Jack panicked as he felt her hand go limp again, her eyes closed. He frantically tried in vein to find a pulse.  
  
"Oh, no way, Janet, you are not dying on me when the cavalry's knocking on the god damn door!" He said as he began CPR. "Come on, Janet!" He had completed 8 cycles of CPR when the rescue team rushed in, pushing him away from her.  
  
The medics rushed to get their equipment out, quickly getting leads attached to their portable monitors, and setting up lights around her. They quickly began with the necessary treatments for her injuries.  
  
"She's in V-Fib! Charge the paddles!" The medic called. Jack was focused on Janet, ignoring Carter as she tried to assess his head wound.  
  
"Clear!" Jack flinched slightly as her small body jumped.  
  
"Charge to 360! And give me an amp of epi!"  
  
"Clear!" Again Jack flinched.  
  
"She's back!" Jack realised he had been holding his breath.  
  
"Ok, let's move!" The medic said, helping to slide the stretcher under her, while his colleague secured a neck brace. "Ok, that's it, people, let's go." He ordered, two medics picked up the stretcher, carrying it out of the cavern with Jack never more than a few feet behind.  
  
Jack squinted as he entered into the daylight.  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was an ATV waiting for them outside.  
  
"I sent Teal'c back to get it once we knew the situation sir." Sam clarified.  
  
"Right." Jack replied, still slightly dazed. He watched carefully as the medics skillfully loaded Janet onto the trailer attached to the ATV, all the time continuing to administer her the treatments that were currently keeping her alive.  
  
"Sir, you should go with them, you need that head wound checked out." Sam said.  
  
Jack turned to her, frowning, he reached up to his head, his hand coming back with blood on it. In all the time they'd been in the cave he hadn't even noticed. "Umm, ok." He replied, getting on the trailer. There was room for five, one on a stretcher and two at either side. There were three medics and Janet, a space being left for Jack. He moved close to Janet, taking her hand again as the ATV moved off. He could hear the medics around him talking to one another, the one who was bagging Janet being most vocal. He ignored them, instead focusing on Janet, as though he could somehow channel his energy to her to keep her alive until they got back to the SGC.  
  
The ride back to the 'gate passed in a haze for Jack, before he knew it, they were moving him out of the way so they could unload Janet. He reluctantly let go of her hand, and followed the stretcher through the 'gate.  
  
Another bustle of activity upon their return to the SGC passed by Jack, before he knew what was happening he was waking up in the infirmary.  
  
"Hey, glad to see you're awake Colonel." A Nurse greeted him back in to the land of the living, Jack was confused for a minute, it was always Janet who was there when he woke up, and then he remembered.  
  
"The Doc!" He said trying to sit up. The nurse eased him back down.  
  
"Take it easy, sir. You had a nasty head injury, you passed out right after you got back." She told him.  
  
Jack blinked, trying to remember anything after coming back through the 'gate, but there was just a blur. "Janet?" He asked, realising his lack of memory was unimportant.  
  
The nurse took on a grave look, and Jack realised that it would be hard for the infirmary staff to treat Janet, she wasn't just their boss, she was their friend, "We don't know yet." She said quietly. "She was in surgery for almost three hours, and so far she hasn't woke up yet." She continued.  
  
"Can I see her?" He asked.  
  
The nurse nodded, "Yes, sir. Major Carter's in there now." She said, offering him a hand getting off of the bed.  
  
"What about Cassie?" Jack asked as they walked.  
  
"Major Carter didn't think it would be a good idea for her to see her mom like this." She replied.  
  
"Like what?" Jack frowned.  
  
The nurse stopped walking as they reached the door. "She had to be put on a vent, sir."  
  
Jack physically paled, that was never a good sign. "What're her chances?"  
  
"We don't know." She paused, "The next twenty-four hours will be crucial.all we can do is wait." She replied swiping her card to open the door.  
  
Sam was sitting on a chair, next to Janet's bed, a blank expression on her face. Jack could see unshed tears in her eyes, he pulled up a chair next to hers, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder, she responded to his silent invitation, burying her head in his shoulder and letting her emotions out. He wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her back.  
  
"Hey, hey..shhhhhh..it's gonna be ok, she'll pull through." Jack comforted her.  
  
As he was doing so, something struck him. A year ago, hell, even a few months ago, doing this - holding Sam like this, being the one to comfort her - would have made him feel great, wonderful, thrilled. It would have been the opportunity to be close to her that he had wanted since the forbidden feelings had surfaced themselves, , but now. Now, he was just a friend, comforting another friend. He didn't feel anything more for her, something had changed. 


	3. Chapter 3

When Sam's sobbing had subsided slightly, Jack pulled back from her.  
  
"You look awful." He said, only concern in his voice. "You should go get some sleep."  
  
Sam quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm ok..I just..I feel like I should be here."  
  
Jack paused, not responding, carefully mulling over how to phrase what he wanted to say. He took a breath before beginning. "I think you should be with Cassie."  
  
Sam's head snapped round to face him. "Why?"  
  
He sighed, "She's a smart kid, she's gonna figure out something's not right. She has a right to know what's going on."  
  
Sam looked down, "I don't think I can face being the one to tell her."  
  
He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I know."  
  
At that moment, Jonas and Teal'c entered the room. Teal'c stood stoic as ever, while Jonas felt awkward, unsure of what to do or say.  
  
"Umm.how is she?" Jonas asked nervously.  
  
Sam turned to face him. "They don't know yet. We're gonna have to wait it out."  
  
"I.um.is there anything we can do?" He asked fidgeting nervously.  
  
"Nothing." She replied.  
  
He didn't say anything after that, and the team was still as they prepared for a long vigil by their friends side.  
  
Sam was the one who finally broke the silence, standing, the sound of her chair scraping across the floor sounding infinitely louder in the silence. "I'm gonna go see Cassie." She said quietly, leaving.  
  
Jonas stood for a moment, unsure of what to do, but eventually deciding to follow Sam, "I.umm.I." He mumbled before leaving.  
  
Once they had both left, Jack allowed his head to drop into his hands, trying to rub away the throbbing ache that he found there.  
  
"I am confident Doctor Fraiser will survive this, O'Neill." Teal'c said, trying to reassure his friend.  
  
"Yeah? I wish I was." He sighed.  
  
"She is far too stubborn to die."  
  
Jack laughed despite himself. "Yeah, that's true. She'll probably wake up and tell me how bad my bedside manner is." He paused. "I shouldn't have let this happen."  
  
"You must not blame yourself, there was nothing you could have done to prevent this turn of events."  
  
"There has to be." He paused again. "She pushed me outta the way. I never even saw it coming."  
  
"It is in her nature to help to others."  
  
"And it was my job to protect her! I should have been the one to get her outta the way, not the other way around. This is my fault." He looked up at her, "I should have protected her." He whispered quietly.  
  
Teal'c was silent for a moment, before he moved towards O'Neill, and making an unusually tactile gesture, put a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps you should rest. You yourself are injured."  
  
"It's nothing. I'm gonna stay here."  
  
"O'Neill, you must not punish yourself for something over which you had no control."  
  
"It's easier said than done. I'm just so damn angry that I let this happen to her."  
  
"Perhaps." He paused, "Or perhaps you are angry that you may lose someone whom you care deeply about."  
  
Jack didn't look at him, instead studying his hands closely.  
  
"I will return with sustenance for you." He said, turning and exiting the room, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts, which were mainly concerning Teal'c's comment about losing someone he cared about. It amazed him how often he forgot about the massive age difference between them.  
  
Jack gently lifted Janet's hand off the bed, carefully so as not to disturb the IV on the back of it, and held it in his own.  
  
"Come on, Jan." He whispered, "You've gotta wake up." He hadn't honestly expected a response, but he found his heart sinking when she didn't stir. "I can't believe it took this to make me realise what you mean to me." He said more to himself than her.  
  
He struggled in vein to stifle a yawn, and found himself overcome by tiredness. He laid his head down on the side of Janet's bed, falling asleep almost instantly.  
  
Teal'c returned a half hour later, a large plate of food in hand. He found the Colonel fast asleep, his hand still firmly clamped to Janet's, his head still resting on her bed. His lips curled in a slight smile, thinking that Major Carter would class the sight as 'Sweet'. He placed the food down on a table and picked up a blanket, carefully placing it over Jack.  
  
Teal'c moved outside the room, standing guard, deciding that no one, except those necessary, were to disturb the couple.  
  
Jack woke with a start; he was surprised to find a blanket placed over him. He quickly looked up, troubled to see Janet still unconscious. He looked at his watch. He'd been sleeping for seven hours, the constant stream of nurses not stirring him. But that meant she'd been unconscious for over fourteen hours. He stood up, his knees groaning in response,  
  
"I'll be right back." He whispered.  
  
Jack opened the door, jumping slightly when he found Teal'c standing outside.  
  
"Teal'c? Did anything happen while I was out?"  
  
"Dr Fraiser did not regain consciousness while you were asleep, O'Neill."  
  
"Right." He replied, his face falling.  
  
"I would have woken you immediately."  
  
"Yeah.I know.I just.was hoping."  
  
Teal'c nodded in his customary style.  
  
"Have the docs said anything?"  
  
"They continue to say that we must wait."  
  
Jack nodded, "I figured." He paused, "I'm gonna." He trailed off stepping back into the room.  
  
Teal'c resumed his position guarding the door.  
  
Jack sat back down in the seat he had left only few minutes before, once again taking Janet's hand in his own, that one small act bringing him some small comfort. He sat like that, time not registering with him, until finally, Sam came back. It seemed to Jack that only a few minutes had passed, but in fact another six hours had passed. He looked behind Sam as the door creaked open to reveal a sheepish looking Cassie.  
  
Once she caught a proper look at her mother, the colour drained straight from her face. "Oh, my god." She mumbled quietly. Quickly crossing the room towards her mother's bed. She stood next to Jack, her eyes filling with tears. "Is.is she going to be ok?"  
  
"We don't know yet." Sam replied from behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Cassie stood, unsure of what to do.  
  
Jack enveloped the girl in a hug, bringing her down to sit on his knee. She began to cry, hiding her face in Jack's shoulder. He gently rubbed her back, "Shhhh.shhhh..it'll be ok..it'll all be ok."  
  
He held her like that until she fell asleep in his arms. He looked around the room, Teal'c and Jonas had entered while he had been comforting Cassie. Jonas and Sam were sitting across from him, Sam's head resting on Jonas's shoulder. Teal'c was sitting to Jack's left, apparently performing kel'no'reem. Jack's legs were asleep, the weight of Cassie on his lap cutting off the circulation, but he didn't care. She was asleep, and in her slumber she couldn't think of what might happen in the next few hours.  
  
They all sat in silence, drifting between sleep and consciousness; time seemed to have no meaning as they waited for the slightest sign of Janet stirring. Only occasionally would one leave for coffee or other necessities.  
  
They waited..and waited. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I was kinda in a hurry to post the last part so I never put in any notes. Many thankies to Tricia, who beta's and then I annoy her cos I forget she has (my bad) Anyway, many apologies to the peeps who're reading this (there are some of you out there right? :) ) I haven't writen for quite some time, RL stuff is getting in the way. I promise I'll try and update once I week, wether or not I'll actually manage it is another question.  
  
They were all still sitting as before, when Dr Warner quietly slipped into the room. As he walked around the bed to check the monitors, he could feel every single pair of eyes in the room focused on him. He checked the read outs and IV lines, sighing as he did so. He looked up to find Colonel O'Neill's deep brown eyes focused intently on him.  
  
"Well?" He asked, voice full of hope, his arms tightening slightly around Cassie.  
  
Warner sighed again, finding it difficult to stay detached, "It's been almost 30 hours now and there's no change.with head injuries like this, the longer she's unconscious.the less likely it is that she'll regain consciousness."  
  
Everyone in the room visibly deflated at the news.  
  
"I think we may have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that she won't wake up." Warner admitted glumly.  
  
Jack's grip around Cassie tightened even further as she broke down, the fear of losing her mother a second time simply too much for her. Jack stroked her hair comfortingly, while addressing Warner over her shoulder,  
  
"I think.we'll wait it out a little longer." He whispered.  
  
Warner nodded, "If you need anything.or there's any change at all." He trailed off, leaving the room quickly.  
  
Jack avoided making eye contact with any of his team members, his male bravado forceing him to try to hide the tears forming in his eyes.  
  
He couldn't even be sure why he was crying, of course his heart was breaking for Cassie, her anguished sobs reminding him of all she'd endured in her short life. But a large part of why there were tears in his eyes was his own sense of loss. He kept thinking, 'What am I going to do wthout her? How will I cope?' and to be honest he had no idea. If only it hadn't taken for her to buried under a pile of rocks to make him see what was as clear as day now, she was far more than just 'the doc' to him.  
  
Everyone had settled down again since Warner's visit, Cassie was now asleep in a chair next to Jack, he head resting comfortably against his shoulder.  
  
His entire team was also asleep, and Jack could feel himself drifting off. It was then, when he was in the hazy perioad between consciosness and sleep that he saw it.  
  
Janet's hand twitched. He blinked, unsure if his eyes were simply showing him what he wanted to see.  
  
No, he was sure of it now, her hand moved. He stood up, careful not to wake Cassie as he did so.  
  
"Janet?" He whispered, attracting attention from Teal'c who ceased his kel'no'reem at once. Jack turned to him, "Go get Warner."  
  
Teal'c left the room immediately.  
  
Jack then turned his attention back to Janet, "Janet, can you hear me?" He had instinctively took her hand and he felt it tighten around his own. "Thank god." He whispered quietly.  
  
Teal'c returned with Warner in tow, and the Doctor quickly rushed to his collegues bedside. By now Sam, Jonas and Cassie were beginning to wake.  
  
"Sir? What's going on Sam asked groggily.  
  
"She squeezed my hand." Jack said, voice full of hope.  
  
Sam was awake instantly, "Really?" she jumped up, as did Cassie, Jonas standing only moments later.  
  
They all crowded around the bed, Jack allowing Cassie to take his place.  
  
"Mom?" Cassie said, taking her hand, smiling when she felt her mother squeeze her hand. "She's squeezing my hand." She informed everyone. "Mom, can you open your eyes?"  
  
There was a few seconds of silence in the room, the only sound that of the heart monitor.  
  
Janet's eyes flickered open, squinting against the light, her eyes flickered around the room from face to face, her eyes resting on Cassie's face.  
  
There was a collective sigh of relief.  
  
"Oh mom, thank god you're awake." Cassie resisted the urge to hug her mother.  
  
"Don't try to speak." Warner told her, "We had to intubate you."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Do you feel up to taking it out?" Warner asked.  
  
She nodded again.  
  
"Ok." He moved behind her bed, taking the tube out in one swift movement.  
  
She coughed, and Jack quickly held up a glass of water, guiding the straw to her mouth.  
  
When she had drank enough, Cassie gently hugged her.  
  
"I'm so glad you're ok."  
  
Janet weakly lifted her arm around Cassie.  
  
"I think we all share that sentiment." Sam said, laying a hand on Cassie's back.  
  
"Yeah." Jack agreed, "You had us worried there doc."  
  
"Sorry." She croaked, her lips curled at the edges in a tiny smile. Cassie moved back from her mom.  
  
"Ah, don't worry about it.we're just glad you're ok." Jack smiled, laying a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"We should let you get some rest." Sam said.  
  
"Right." Jack agreed.  
  
"Can I stay?" Cassie asked.  
  
"Yeah." Janet said, taking her daughters hand.  
  
"Ok, we'll let you rest." Sam said, heading out of the room, followed by the rest of her team.  
  
Warner checked the readouts again, before turning to Janet, "You really do need to get some rest."  
  
She nodded.  
  
Warner left, leaving Cassie and Janet alone. Cassie hugged her mom again, as if trying to prove that she was actually real.  
  
"Sweetie, it's ok, I'm not going anywhere." Janet croaked as held her daughter as best she could.  
  
"Here." Cassie said as she gave her mom another drink of water, hearing how dry her throught was. "I'm sorry, I just.I was so worried."  
  
"I'm so sorry I put you through that honey."  
  
"It's not your fault. I'm just happy you're ok. Now you should sleep."  
  
Janet nodded, "But so should you."  
  
"I know mom." Cassie kissed her mother's forehead.  
  
"Love you."  
  
"Love you too sweetie."  
  
Jack found himself back in the infirmary the next morning, finding himself unable to stay away. He quietly slipped into Janet's room, smiling when he saw Janet and Cassie were both asleep. Cassie sitting curled up on a chair. He crossed the room, sitting down at the far side. As he did so, his chair moved slightly and made a noise. He cursed under his breath as Janet stirred slightly, and then opened her eyes, turning to face him.  
  
"Hey." She whispered.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.I should go." He replied, still whispering, trying not to ake Cassie as well.  
  
"No, it's ok." She said as he moved to the chair next to her bed, making sure to do so quietly this time. "I wasn't really sleeping that well anyway.I could do with the company."  
  
"You want me to go get Doc Warner? He could give you a sleeping pill." He suggested.  
  
"No." She whispered. "I'll be ok."  
  
He smiled at her determination, but the smile disappeared when he looked at her drips "Shouldn't all that stuff be knocking you out?" He asked, concerned.  
  
"I wouldn't let him give me a sedative."  
  
Jack frowned, "Why?"  
  
"Because I don't like them."  
  
"I don't like them either, but you don't give me a choice."  
  
"Call it doctor's perogotive." She smiled a little.  
  
Jack smiled, "Call it bribing your underling."  
  
She laughed quietly, "I guess it's all a matter of perspective."  
  
"Seriously though, you should take the knock out juice, you must be in pain." He changed the subject, his voice taking on a serious tone.  
  
"I'll be ok."  
  
He smiled at her determination.  
  
Dr Warner choose that moment to enter the room, "Colonel.I didn't expect to see you here, you're not keeping my patient awake are you?"  
  
"No, he's just keeping me company." Janet told him.  
  
Cassie woke up at this point the noise of the conversation stirring her. "What time is it?" She asked groggily, stretching her legs out.  
  
"Just gone 10 00." Jack told her.  
  
"Umm.I'm gonna go get some breakfast." She said standing up. "You guys want anything?"  
  
"No thanks." Jack answered.  
  
"It's ok, but make sure you get something proper to eat, ok?"  
  
"Yes mom." Cassie said in a typical teenager fashion as she left.  
  
"You're a lot perkier than I expected, you seem very alert and together, but you'll really have to prepare yourself for the fact that this is going to be a long recovery. You where pretty badly injured." He paused, "Ok, and now the lectures over I'll leave you two in peace, I'll be back to check on you later." He said leaving.  
  
Janet turne to face Jack, and after a short pause frowned, "Did he just call me perky?"  
  
Jack laughed, "Yeah, I think he did."  
  
There was a silence between them, until Janet awkwardly broke it.  
  
"I.um.wanted to say thanks."  
  
"For what?" Jack frowned.  
  
"Back in that cave.you.I don't think I would have got through that if you weren't there."  
  
"It's ok.I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't made it through." He said, the words spilling out of his mouth before he realised what he was saying.  
  
She laughed, "Probably gotten away with a lot more next time you're injured."  
  
He laughed along with her half-heartedly, "Right."  
  
Two weeks later, and Jack had settled into a routine of visiting Janet everyday, SG-1 only had one mission over that period, and Jack had found himself missing his daily visit. He also noticed that Teal'c kept looking at him oddly, and Jack knew he was just dying to say something to him.  
  
Jack found himself looking forward to spending time with Janet, and he found more and more of his thoughts were turning to her. He just had no idea what to do about it. 


	5. Chapter 5

Jack had been spending almost all of his time over the past few weeks with or very near to Janet. So she wasn't too surprised when she came back from physiotherapy to find him sitting there.  
  
"Hey." She mumbled tiredly. As she was repositioned onto her bed.  
  
"Hey." He smiled.  
  
"How long have you been here?" She asked, concern in her voice.  
  
"A while." He replied.  
  
"Have you even been home since we got back?"  
  
"Nope." He replied, a sheepish smile on his face.  
  
"You should get some rest, you're always complaining you can't get a good nights sleep on base."  
  
He laughed, "For god's sake, Janet, think about yourself for once. You nearly died for crying out loud."  
  
Immediately he regretted what he had said when he saw tears forming in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, God, Jan, I'm sorry.I didn't think." He stumbled on an apology.  
  
She quickly wiped the tears away, embarrassed. "I'm sorry.this must seem pretty stupid to you."  
  
Jack frowned.  
  
She sniffed, and continued wiping her eyes, "You guys face death every day, and here I am, one little brush with death and I'm crying."  
  
"I'd hardly call it a little brush with death." He squeezed her hand, not letting go afterwards. "It's perfectly understandable that you're upset." He reached out and cupped her face in his hand, gently using his thumb to wipe away her tears. "And you could never look stupid to me." He whispered sincerely, his eye contact with her unwavering.  
  
Jack mentally shook himself for making such a physical gesture. 'Now is so not the time' he scolded himself. Janet was fidgeting under his scrutiny, unsure of how to react to his overt action.  
  
"Besides, it's probably being stuck on the base for so long, it's enough to bring anyone to tears." He tried to break the tension that had formed.  
  
"Yeah." She replied dejectedly.  
  
He could see she was holding something back. "What?" He asked , gently pushing her to tell him.  
  
She sighed, "It's nothing. I guess I'm just frustrated. The physio's going really slow."  
  
He laid his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "These things take time, you should know that better than anyone. You can't expect much at the physio sessions, you still have a leg in cast for crying out loud."  
  
She laughed, "Right." There was a pause, "I guess I never realised how empty that sounds."  
  
"Look, I know it feels like you're never gonna be back to normal, but you will. You just have to keep looking forward to that. Besides the worst is nearly over, Doc Warner said he's gonna let you outta here soon."  
  
"Not soon enough."  
  
"I know that feeling."  
  
"My bedside manner is that bad?"  
  
"No!" He answered, just a little too quickly. "No, it's just, you know, being stuck underground for so long.it can get to you."  
  
"I never realised just how bad it is."  
  
"Maybe you'll start to let me out a little earlier."  
  
"Was this all some sort of fiendish plot to make me sympathise with you more when you're stuck in here?" She asked, her lips curling into a smile.  
  
"Damn, you've foiled my evil plot."  
  
She laughed, and Jack couldn't help but smile at the sight.  
  
"I gotta get going." He said standing up. "Hammond's arranged a meeting, something about commissary budget, I think maybe Carter's been over doing it with the Jello." He said smiling.  
  
She smiled back, "You'll be back later?" She asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Good."  
  
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~  
  
Jack was aimlessly wandering the base, going over what had just happened in his mind. It was then that he quite literally walked into Teal'c.  
  
"Oh, um.sorry, T."  
  
Teal'c bowed his head in his customary manner, "Your mind was obviously concerned with other matters." Though anyone else would have missed it, Jack heard the insinuation in Teal'c voice.  
  
"Yeah." Jack admitted continuing down the corridor, Teal'c following.  
  
"How is Doctor Fraiser?" He asked, an uncharacteristic tone in his voice.  
  
"I managed to make her cry this morning." Jack replied, anger at his own tactlessness evident in his voice.  
  
He didn't even have to look to know Teal'c had raised an eyebrow.  
  
Jack held the door open for Teal'c to follow him into his quarters, sighing as he slumped onto the bed, Teal'c sitting opposite him.  
  
"Oh man." Jack put his head in his hands, "I feel like I'm in high school again, I got it bad."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
He sighed again, "I don't even know how this happened, I mean.she's the doc."  
  
"She is also an extremely beautiful and intelligent woman."  
  
"Yeah." Jack smiled. He took a breath to say something, but was interrupted by his phone ringing.  
  
"O'Neill." He answered.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I'll be right there."  
  
He hung up the phone.  
  
"They're going to release Janet." He informed Teal'c, getting up and heading down to the infirmary.  
  
~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~  
  
Jack and Teal'c entered the room to find Janet surrounded by Sam, Jonas, General Hammond and Dr. Warner.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" Jack asked.  
  
"We're just trying to figure out who going to stay where." Sam replied.  
  
"What?" Jack asked.  
  
"They're convinced I can't look after myself." Janet said, her agitation at the role reversal evident.  
  
"You could stay with me." The words were out of Jack's mouth before he could stop them.  
  
All eyes in the room turned to him.  
  
"Well.it makes sense." He said, realising to his horror that it actually did. "I mean, you're gonna be on wheels for a while, and unless you want to be manhandled upstairs every night your place is out. Carter's is too small for you and Cass. So Cass stays with Carter and you stay with me."  
  
There was a silence in the room as they realised what he was saying made sense. His house was mostly level, with only those few steps between levels, which didn't pose a problem since Jack had got one of the tech's to build him a ramp for when he himself was injured. And Sam's place was far closer to Cassie's school than Jack's.  
  
"Umm, do you think I could have a minute alone with the Colonel?" Janet finally asked.  
  
Everyone quickly agreed, filing out of the room.  
  
"Jack, I get why you're doing this." She began. And for a second Jack thought she might actually know the real reason, that he was desperate for an excuse to spend more time with her.  
  
"You're obviously still on some sort of guilt trip. You always blame yourself when someone gets hurt on one of your missions. I mean why else would you volunteer to spend more time with me?"  
  
Jack breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"No." He said firmly. "Jan, that's not what this is about. I just want to make sure that you're ok. I want to look after you, like you've done for me so many times." He paused, "Besides, spending time with you isn't so bad." He said smiling.  
  
She smiled back shyly, embarrassed by his attention focusing on her. "Are you sure you really want to inflict me on yourself?"  
  
He laughed, "Yes." He replied sincerely, "Not too sure what I'm letting myself in for though." He joked.  
  
She smiled again, "You better go get them, then."  
  
Jack did as she suggested, sticking his head out the door and telling the group waiting outside to come in.  
  
"So.umm.what's happening?" Sam asked.  
  
"Well, if it's ok with you, Cass will stay with you, and the Doc with me." Jack replied.  
  
Sam looked to Janet, "Umm.ok.if you're sure."  
  
Janet smiled at her friends uncertainty, "Yeah."  
  
"Ok." Sam replied.  
  
"So it's settled then." 


End file.
